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"I just can't wait to get home" says soldier as troops leave Basra
A DONCASTER-BORN soldier serving in Iraq has moved a step closer to home in a symbolic march.
Scawthorpe squaddie James Cook was among the last 100 British troops to leave Basra Palace earlier this month - handing over the province to Iraqi security forces.
And while the 20-year-old member of The Rifles (4th Battalion) says he will look back on his first tour with mainly positive memories, he admits a possible November return to his Bulford base in Wiltshire can hardly come quick enough.
"It's been a really good experience - a once in a lifetime chance," he said, speaking from the UK's last base close to Basra International Airport.
"It's a fun thing to be doing but there's always that little thing in the back of your mind that anything could happen.
"A lot of my friends have either been injured or killed and I'm thinking about them all the time.
"Things have calmed down a lot now," he added. "We've been fighting to live for the last four months in the city but now we're in the desert things are a lot quieter.
"I still can't wait to get home though."
Military man James, a former mechanic in Balby, has had to cope with almost 100 incoming shells a day and has also taken part in ground combat and patrolling duties since volunteering to serve in Iraq from March this year.
But having now relocated to the airport, where troops remain on standby and continue to train Iraqi security forces, the dangers have lessened -and the move has also resulted in an unexpected bonus for hungry troops.
"It was a good day - quite an experience to be honest," said James, looking back on the momentous march from the Palace on September 2.
"We came out at about midnight and there were hundreds of vehicles in a convoy. It was a really historic occasion and morale was very high.
"We're all really happy to be somewhere with Burger King and Pizza Hut now," he added. "We've been on rations all the time we've been at the Palace!"
The Iraq War began in 2003 as suspicion raged amongst politicians that the country was producing weapons of mass destruction.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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